GCPS RECEIVES 24K GRANT AWARD TO SUPPORT SAFETY UPGRADES

Goochland County Public Schools have been chosen to receive $24,000 in funding to support safety preparedness initiatives during the 2015-16 school year. Governor Terry McAuliffe announced last week that the Commonwealth has awarded $6 million in School Security Equipment Grants to help ensure the safety of Virginia’s schools.

The grant funds will support key initiatives, identified through the work of the GCPS Crisis & School Safety Task Force as well as continued partnership with the Goochland Sheriff’s Office and Fire and Rescue Department. Specifically, this year’s award will enable the division to:

establish communication between Goochland High School and Goochland Tech,

establish communication between Goochland High School and Goochland PREP,

provide new two-way radios to all schools, including Goochland Tech, the ESCE Preschool, and Goochland PREP,

install amplification of the intercom system in shop labs at Goochland Tech where noisy equipment and machinery can make communication challenging, and

purchase and implement a “Panic Button” software solution that will enable access to a mobile panic alarm, emergency notification, real-time location tracking, and a mass update system to better facilitate communication and resolution of emergency situations in all school facilities.

“We intend for our schools to be places where students, staff and community members can pursue deeper learning,” superintendent James Lane said. “As we work together to maximize the potential of every learner, we must also commit to ensure that all of our schools are safe.”

The School Security Equipment Grant program was established by the 2013 General Assembly in the aftermath of the December 14, 2012, mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut.

“All those who visit our schools throughout the school year will be safer today because of this grant award,” school board chairman John Lumpkins said. “This will provide our schools and first responders with necessary tools to respond quickly and effectively if a security threat does arise.”